HORSE RACING

Female Trainer Breaks Ground

Published: October 27, 1996

TORONTO, Oct. 26—
For the past three years, Lit de Justice had been the mischievous kid you want to get mad at, but simply cannot. He was so talented, and so playful, that his frequent flashes of brilliance helped offset his obstinate personality.

Sometimes Lit de Justice would balk at entering a starting gate. Many mornings he would do pirouettes on the race track and try to buck his rider. His antics tried the patience of those with short fuses, but his trainer, Jenine Sahadi, stayed the course, twisting something there, tightening something there, and today at Woodbine race track her faith was rewarded.

Lit de Justice rallied from last to first in the 13-horse field in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint to clinch the Eclipse Award as the nation's best sprinter, provide Sahadi with the first Breeders' Cup victory by a female trainer, and send the jockey Corey Nakatani to the first of his two emotionally charged victories.

Lit de Justice beat Paying Dues by 1 1/4 lengths and was timed in 1:083/5 , equaling the track record for six furlongs. Honour and Glory was third. Lit de Justice paid $10 for $2 as the lukewarm favorite. The 6-year-old horse was making his final career start for the Evergreen Farm of C. N. and Carol Ray.

The Sprint was slightly tainted by a bizarre mix-up. Six of the 13 horses were not put in their proper post positions, including Paying Dues. But the track's three stewards were not aware of the situation until they made the race official, and no protest was lodged by anyone connected with Paying Dues.

''We don't think what happened altered the order of finish,'' said one of the stewards, Nelson Ham.

Sahadi, 33, the daughter of one of California's leading breeders, has been training for only three and one-half years, but her upbringing and shrewd handicapping skills have made her one of the Southern California circuit's best-regarded trainers. ''It's a big thrill for anybody,'' she said. ''I'm not blowing my own horn, but there's no reason a woman can't be as good at training a horse as a man.''

To help solve Lit de Justice's troublesome nature, Sahadi employed as an exercise rider Karl Webster, who is known for taming the most difficult horses in Southern California.

Nakatani had dedicated the day to his late sister, Dawn, who was found strangled earlier this month at her apartment complex in suburban Los Angeles. ''All of this is for Dawn,'' he said. ''I just hope she is in a better place and that she is in peace now.''

DISTAFF

A Family Victory

Nakatani, having been shut out of the Breeders' Cup winners' circle 12 times before this year, promptly made it two straight visits when he rode Jewel Princess home first in the next race, the $1 million Distaff. The 4-year-old filly's trainer, Wallace Dollase, also happens to be Nakatani's father-in-law.

It was the fifth victory in nine starts this year for her owners, Richard and Martha Stephen of California and Prince Ahmed Salman of Saudi Arabia. She ran the mile and an eighth in 1:482/5 and paid $6.80.

For Serena's Song, who finished second for the sixth time this year, it was another gallant, bittersweet experience and another defeat for D. Wayne Lukas, who confronted Gary Stevens afterward for following a slow pace. The 4-year-old filly has gone to the post 37 times in her career. Nineteen times she has come home first. But not this time.

MILE

Da Hoss Is 8Da Best

In the $1 million Mile, the European horses had their first shot at Woodbine's European-style grass course, a mile and a half long with some gradual climbs. But no European horse could catch Da Hoss, trained by Michael Dickinson and ridden by Gary Stevens, not Spinning World, who finished second, not even Europe's best miler, Mark of Esteem, who ran seventh.

Frankie Dettori, the leading jockey in Europe, who recently won seven stakes in one day in England, reported that ''the ground was just too soft on the backstretch'' and added: ''We paid the price. I pressed the button and there was no response.''

Da Hoss ran the mile in 1:354/5 and returned $18.90.

TURF

A European Sweep

The Europeans had another shot in the $2 million Turf, and this time scored sensationally, as expected. The winner was the Irish horse Pilsudski, who ran second to Helissio in the Arc de Triomphe three weeks ago. He was followed by three of the four horses in the mass entry of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum of Dubai: Singspiel second, Swain third and Shantou fourth.

Pilsudski ran the mile and a half in 2:301/5 and paid $29.40.

''He has an iron constitution,'' said his trainer, Michael Stoute. ''I couldn't have brought many horses back after a race like the Arc.''